Start As You Mean to Go On
by celeste9
Summary: Jess touched her fingers to Becker's arm. "Becker, I think the only one who doesn't understand what's going on here is you." Lester/Becker/Jess


_****_A/N: Set post 5x6, sequel to "Your War Is in Your Heart".

_**Start As You Mean to Go On**_

_I'm in Lester's flat. Oh, shit, I'm in Lester's flat._

Becker breathed slowly and tried not to hyperventilate. He watched Jess admiring the place in an attempt to distract himself from the number of times he had fantasised about this.

Because he had. It had started harmless enough, Becker imagining himself on his knees in Lester's office (Lester was hot when he was yelling, don't judge), but recently Becker had become more adventurous. He had thought about coming here, letting Lester fuck him in his bed. It was possible that he might have even thought about fucking Jess in Lester's bed while Lester watched, just once. (Okay, twice.)

He pinched his palm behind his back because there was a time and a place. He didn't think this was it, not with Lester leaning on his cane and looking almost dead on his feet.

Luckily Jess seemed to be having a more appropriate reaction. She was walking in a slow circle, eyes taking in everything. "Wow. This is amazing. Connor said your flat was nice but it's really, really nice."

"I'm glad you approve," Lester said but he sounded as exhausted as he looked.

Which Jess noticed, of course. She looked at him tenderly. "Becker, why don't you help Lester get changed and I'll make something for us to eat. Kitchen's over here, yeah?" She disappeared around a corner.

"Make yourself at home," Lester muttered.

Becker grinned and thought that it was clear who was really in charge around here. "Come on," he said and touched his hand to Lester's back. "Show me where the bedroom is."

_Oh, stop it, _Becker told himself furiously as his mind started to wander again. It had really been too long since he'd got laid.

Once they were in the bedroom, Lester made his way over to a dresser in the corner and pulled two drawers open, taking out a change of clothing. He cast his eyes over Becker, who was standing barely inside the doorway and feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm entirely capable of dressing myself, thank you," Lester said and shut himself into the adjoining bathroom.

Becker suppressed his desire to poke around through Lester's things and instead sat down on the bed, feeling a little guilty at mussing the perfectly smooth duvet. He couldn't help but notice that it was a large, comfortable bed well-suited for sharing.

After a short while the bathroom door cracked open and Lester peered through. "Can you come in for a moment?"

"Of course," Becker said and refrained from teasing.

Lester was waiting in the middle of the room, his belt unbuckled and his trousers open but still hanging off his hips. "I'm afraid I'm finding bending over more troublesome than I'd expected," he admitted, gaze directed at Becker's chest rather than his face.

"It's all right," Becker said gently, pushing Lester's trousers down. "I'll help you." He knelt on the floor and absolutely was not thinking dirty thoughts about being on his knees in front of Lester. He tugged at one trouser leg until Lester lifted his foot up, wincing and wobbling to the side.

Becker glanced up at him. "You can put your hands on me. Steady yourself."

So Lester did, tentatively resting one hand on Becker's shoulder, his grip soon becoming firmer by necessity. Becker got his trousers off and stood back up, not bothering to move back and instead crowding in close against Lester. He undid a button of Lester's shirt.

Lester swallowed. "I can manage the buttons on my own."

"Just because you can do something on your own doesn't mean you should have to." Becker kept his eyes on his own fingers as he slid each button through the loops, the shirt falling open slowly to reveal Lester's pale skin. He pushed the shirt over Lester's shoulders, where it hung down, catching at Lester's wrists before he shrugged out of it.

The bandage over Lester's abdomen stood starkly white against his skin and Becker couldn't stop looking at it. He fluttered his fingers over the edges, afraid to touch, and before he knew what he was doing he dropped to his knees again, circling his arms around Lester's waist and pressing his face against Lester's stomach.

Lester wavered in place before catching his balance, his hands dropping down on top of Becker's head and pulling at his hair. "Becker. Becker, don't."

But Becker couldn't move, feeling Lester's skin against his cheek. "I'm sorry, I... Sorry." He hugged his arms tighter and kissed Lester's belly, Lester trembling slightly. "God, I'm so sorry." None of it should ever have happened and Becker wasn't sure he could ever forgive himself for what Lester and Jess had been through. He didn't know what he would have done if they hadn't been okay and he was glad he would never have to find out.

"Becker, oh, Becker," Lester was saying softly while he stroked Becker's hair. "Not everything that happens is your fault."

Becker swallowed the lump in his throat and thought that it probably wasn't right to have this many feelings for someone he hadn't even kissed. He forced himself to move back until he was sitting on his heels, letting his hands rest in his lap. "You'll have to excuse my ridiculousness," he said in a shaky voice. "I haven't slept in a while."

Lester took one step forward until he could lay his hand on Becker's cheek. "Only if you'll write off my behaviour as a result of the painkillers."

"Deal." Becker stood up and grabbed Lester's T-shirt from the counter and pulled it over Lester's head, lips quirking at the mess it made of his hair.

"It might help you to know," Lester said as he pushed his arms through the sleeves, "that Jess had a small meltdown earlier. So it wasn't just you."

Actually, that made Becker feel a great deal better. Curiosity made him want to seek details but it wasn't actually any of his business so he left it. As much as he cared for Jess, he wouldn't want her to know about what had just happened so it was only fair to let her have some privacy as well. He didn't think Lester would have told him anything, anyway.

Becker passed Lester the sweatpants resting on the counter. "Won't you be hot in these?"

"I didn't think it would be quite appropriate to go around in my underwear with Jess here."

"I really don't think she'd mind."

Lester's cheeks actually tinged pink, something Becker would have thought to be an impossibility. "Perhaps not."

"She most certainly wouldn't mind," came Jess' amused voice from the doorway.

In what Becker found to be a strangely adorable gesture, Lester clutched the sweatpants in front of his groin. "Jess!"

"I'm sorry," she said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "You were taking so long I thought I'd better make sure you hadn't got into any trouble without me."

"Not unless Becker's strange proclivity for dressing people constitutes trouble," Lester said.

"You asked for my help!" Becker protested and then noticed the mischief sparking in Lester's eyes. Oh, right. They were only making fun of him again.

"I hope he enjoys undressing as well," Jess said and took the sweatpants out of Lester's hands and put them aside, circling her arm around Lester's waist to walk him out of the bathroom.

"You may rest assured that he enjoyed that part exceedingly well."

Becker stood in place an instant before going after them. Clearly somewhere along the line he had missed something crucially important. He wished someone would sit him down and explain exactly what was going on, preferably in single syllable words. Becker was good at a lot of things, but regrettably, being in a relationship wasn't one of them. Neither was processing complex emotions, which was generally something Becker avoided at all cost.

"You need to go grocery shopping," Jess was saying.

"I haven't exactly been home much lately."

Jess made a dismissive humming noise. "Well, I've made us some eggs and toast, anyway." She deposited Lester into a chair, going so far as to push him in, and then said, "Becker, help me with the plates."

Lester was watching Jess with an expression that suggested he had arrived at the same conclusion Becker already had. They were both fooling themselves if they thought Jess didn't own them.

Becker made a gesture as if he were cracking a whip, to which Lester rolled his eyes, and then followed Jess.

She put a dirty pan into the sink and glanced at Becker. "Does Lester seem all right to you?"

"He seems fine, Jess," Becker assured her. "Tired, that's all."

"Good. I… I hope you don't think I'm being too flippant," she said, chewing on her lip. "It isn't that I don't care, I just…"

Becker felt as though something warm and bright was bursting in his chest. "I don't think anyone could ever accuse you of not caring, sweetheart."

Jess raised an eyebrow, her mouth twitching. "Oh, it's sweetheart now, is it?"

"Bugger," Becker said under his breath and preoccupied himself with picking up two of the plates. He was really having an unfortunate problem with his mouth lately.

"If you call me sweetheart, what do I get to call you? Love? Darling? Baby?"

"Oh, Christ."

"That one's pushing it, I think," Jess said, laughing, as she took a plate and started to head for the door.

"Wait," Becker called, his brain catching up to him. "Wait, Jess, you have to tell me something."

She waited expectantly.

"Are you planning on staying the night?"

Jess frowned. "Aren't you?"

"Do you think Lester's going to be okay with that?"

Jess touched her fingers to Becker's arm. "Becker, I think the only one who doesn't understand what's going on here is you," she said and carried her plate out of the kitchen.

Becker stared after her and thought that he might have been mistaken. Either Lester and Jess had figured things out extremely quickly or they had been entirely aware of how they felt about each other. And about Becker, apparently. Whatever the truth was, Becker seemed to have got himself in over his head.

But damned if he wasn't going to love every minute of it.

Bringing the other two plates into the dining room, Becker sat down across from Jess and pushed one plate over to Lester. "I hope it's edible."

"I can make eggs!" Jess insisted. Then she smiled self-deprecatingly. "Though eggs are very nearly the extent of what I can cook."

"That explains the amount of takeaway you consume."

"Oh, hush," Jess said and kicked Becker's foot. "I bet Lester cooks brilliantly."

"Do you?" Lester asked. "Why?"

"Because no one has that many appliances in their kitchen if they don't cook. Your spice rack is pretty impressive as well; I've never even heard of some of the things you've got in there."

"I enjoy cooking, when I have the time."

"Lucky for us," Jess said to Becker, beaming.

If Becker thought that would get a reaction out of Lester, he was mistaken. Lester simply took it in stride and apparently Jess was right. It was only Becker who was confused.

They finished eating and Becker stood up, piling up the dishes. "Let me clear up, since you cooked."

"That's sweet of you, thanks," Jess said, like she was surprised to discover Becker actually was in possession of some manners. She started to help Lester up.

"I can stand up on my own, actually," Lester said. It was cute how he was still fighting Jess even though everyone in the room knew how this was going to end.

Damn it. Had he just thought of Lester as cute? He really needed sleep. Becker heard Jess say, "You look like you're about to fall on your face," as he made his way into the kitchen. He rinsed the plates and put them in the dishwasher, taking a moment to lean against the counter and breathe.

Jess and Lester seemed to be rolling them inexorably towards an actual, real relationship between the three of them and Becker could hardly make sense of any of it. A few days ago, before the ARC had got in the way, he had been casually flirting and, if he was honest, hedging his bets. Trying to figure out who and what he wanted, trying to figure out exactly what he could have.

And now, it seemed, he could have them both.

He had very nearly lost them both but now it looked like he could have everything he wanted. All he had to do was stay. That wasn't so hard, was it?

When Becker entered the bedroom, Lester was lying down with Jess settled next to him on the edge of the mattress. The innocuous picture of them somehow produced a spike of desire in Becker, nothing sexual, just... He wanted this. He wanted to have them and for them to have him.

And then he asked, "Lester, are you sure this is okay? You don't want us… me… to leave?"

He had always been good at sabotaging everything good that happened to him.

Jess blinked at him, confusion and disappointment and a tiny bit of understanding. She reached out and grabbed Lester's hand.

Lester smiled faintly at her and then looked to Becker. "I've no doubt at all that this is the painkillers talking, but I believe I would be extremely appreciative if the two of you were to stay with me tonight." He paused. "And I think that's what you want as well."

Becker's mouth had gone dry and he felt as if his feet were frozen in place, unable to form words or to move. He was pretty sure he couldn't even form a single thought.

Jess raised Lester's hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles, prompting that surge of want in Becker again. Then she stood and walked over to him, gently placing her hand on his waist and leaning into him. "It's okay," she whispered, going up on her toes and tugging Becker down to kiss him on the cheek. "You have us, if you want us."

What else could Becker do but wrap his arms around Jess' slender form, resting his face against her hair and hugging her to him? He held her and pushed away the memory of finding her in the ARC, pushed away all his fear and his anxiety, his doubt and his trepidation.

They already had him.

When Jess stepped away, she cast a brief glance at Lester before going to the dresser and opening a drawer. "You don't mind if I steal a shirt to sleep in, do you, Lester?" She didn't wait for a reply and instead grabbed a dark T-shirt.

"I suppose it's a small step from cooking in my kitchen to wearing my shirts," Lester said in resignation.

For the first time since Becker had found them in Lester's office at the ARC, Jess hesitated. Her eyes moved from Lester to Becker and she started to blush before ducking into the bathroom and closing the door.

Becker saw his own fondness reflected in Lester's face and then started to take off his shirt and trousers. He certainly didn't have the same compunctions as Jess - any shred of modesty he might have retained after an adolescence spent in locker rooms with his rugby teammates had been wiped out by the military. Becker had absolutely no problem with the way Lester was pretending not to watch through half-closed eyes, either.

Becker had already slid into bed next to Lester when Jess came out, Lester's shirt not quite covering her arse. He didn't think he was the only one in the room who appreciated the sight.

She seemed to have regained her composure, not bothering to hide the way her eyes lingered on Becker's chest as she pulled back the duvet to get in on Lester's other side. "Good night," she said and bent to kiss Lester on the mouth, a swift, sweet press of lips.

Becker must have been making some sort of weird face because Jess smirked at him. "I'll kiss you goodnight, too, if you like, Becker."

"Oh, that's not... I mean, um, I don't think... No need to feel obligated." _Christ, you're an idiot, _Becker told himself.

Lester snorted and Jess tipped her head to the side with an air of, _You're cute but so, so stupid. _"So you don't want me to kiss you."

He wasn't that stupid. "I never said that."

"In that case..." Jess leaned across Lester to reach Becker, giving him the same sort of chaste kiss she'd given Lester.

But Becker put his hand against the back of Jess' head and held her in place a moment longer, deepening it just a little. If he was going to get a kiss from Jess, he didn't want it to be the sort he could have got from his grandmother.

Jess' cheeks had gone pink again as she sat back up.

Lester rolled his eyes. "Don't think I didn't see that, Becker."

Becker was through with being the slow one. He was through with having the piss taken out of him by these two. "Would you like me to kiss you like that, Lester?"

"Never mind what he wants, I would like it a lot," Jess said, grinning.

"I'm not sure I-"

Becker seized his advantage and didn't let Lester finish, slipping his tongue between Lester's parted lips. Lester made a breathless, shocked sound but his hands quickly settled onto Becker's arse. Becker kissed him slow but as filthy as he could make it, taking his time and getting used to the feel of Lester's mouth.

He felt warm by the time he pulled back, warm and flushed and a little bit turned on. He smiled smugly at Lester's closed eyes and wet, slack mouth, and then looked at Jess.

"Well, I don't know about you boys, but I certainly enjoyed that," she said.

Becker laughed. "I think Lester did, too."

"Don't put words in my mouth," Lester protested weakly, which was as good as confirmation. "Jess, you're a bit of a voyeur, aren't you?"

"I think we all must be in this sort of arrangement," Jess said and kissed Lester's cheek before lying down, her arm stretching over his waist and her head settling against his shoulder.

Jess' words definitely hadn't produced an overflow of images in Becker's mind as he considered the possibilities of the "arrangement" he had found himself in. When he had stepped into Lester's office that short time ago, he could never have imagined that this would be where he ended up. He tucked himself against Lester's side and rested his hand on Jess' hip, thinking that he had to be the luckiest guy in the entire world.

"It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic," Lester said and Becker laughed into his neck.

_**End**_


End file.
